Pelvic traction belt

ABSTRACT

A PELVIC TRACTION DEVICE INCLUDING A BELT OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL TO BE WORN AT THE PELVIC AREA OF A PERSON AND HAVING END PORTIONS CONSTITUTING THE FRONT OF THE BELT, A CENTRAL BACK PORTION AND TWO SIDE PORTIONS ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE BACK PORTION. PADS OF FASTENER MATERIAL FOR A FABRIC FASTENER ARE AFFIXED RESPECTIVELY TO THE BACK PORTION AND THE TWO SIDE PORTIONS. PULLING STRAPS ARE PROVIDED WITH FASTENER MATERIAL COMPLEMENTARY TO THAT ON THE BELT. FOR A SINGLE-PULL BELT, ONE STRAP IS SECURED TO THE BACK PORTION OF THE BELT BY APPLYING THE FASTENER MATERIAL OF THE STRAP TO THE PAD ON THE BELT&#39;&#39;S BACK PORTION. FOR A DOUBLE-PULL TRACTION BELT, TWO STRAPS ARE SECURED TO THE SIDE PORTIONS OF THE BELT BY APPLYING THE FASTENER MATERIAL THEREOF RESPECTIVELY TO THE PADS ON THE SIDE PORTIONS OF THE BELT. THUS, THE DEVICE IS A COMPOSITE SINGLEPULL OR DOUBLE-PULL TRACTION DEVICE.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Robert W. Kilbey- P. O. Box 345, DeFuniak Springs, Fla. 32433 [21] Appl. No. 760,193 [22] Filed Sept. 17, I968 {45] Patented June 28, 1971 [54] PELVIC TRACTION BELT 7 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 128/75, 128/96, l28/(Dig. 15) [51] lnt.C1 A61h l/02 [50] Field oiSearch l28/75,96, 165, 156, 78, (Velcro Digest) [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,021,838 2/1962 Fine 128/96 3,096,760 7/1963 Nelkin l28/78X 3,176,684 4/1965 Walsh 128/75 3,452,747 7/1969 Varco 128/75 FOREIGN PATENTS 810,930 11/1967 Canada 128/75 OTHER REFERENCES DEPUY FRACTURE APPLIANCES, COPYRIGHT 1964 Received in Group 330, May 12, 1966.

Richards Fracture & Orthopedic Supplies Catalogue page 14, Received in Group 330 May 9, 1966.

Richards Manufacturing Co. Catalogue Received in Group 330 Aug. 2, 1968. Publication Date April 3, 1968.

Primary Examiner-Richard A. Gaudet Assistant Examiner-J. Yasko Attorneys-James N. Lyles and John H. OItman ABSTRACT: A pelvic traction device including a belt of flexible material to be worn at the pelvic area of a person and having end portions constituting the front of the belt, a central back portion and two side portions on opposite sides of the back portion. Pads of fastener material for a fabric fastener are affixed respectively to the back portion and the two side portions. Pulling straps are provided with fastener material complementary to that on the belt. For a single-pull belt, one strap is secured to the back portion of the belt by applying the fastener material of the strap to the pad on the belts back portion. For a double-pull traction belt, two straps are secured to the side portions of the belt by applying the fastener material thereof respectively to the pads on the side portions of the belt. Thus, the device is a composite single-pull or double-pull traction device.

PELVIC TRACTION BELT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Pelvic traction belts are known, and they are designed to be wrapped around the pelvis area of a patient and provided with pulling straps which can be pulled by weights or the like to pull the belt toward the feet of the patient and thus push the pelvic bone structure in the direction of the feet for stretching the spine of the patient. In some cases the doctorprescribes a single-pull belt which has a single pulling strap, and in other cases the doctor prescribes I a double-pull belt having two pulling straps. This requires that two types of belts be stocked by a hospital or wherever traction is desired or needed and is used.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The pelvic traction device of this invention is a composite single-pull or double-pull device which enables a hospital or other institution to stock only one type of pelvic traction belt for both single pull and double-pull applications. The device includes a belt of flexible material of a length and width to wrap around the pelvic area of a person and, when pulled toward the feet of the person, to push the pelvic bone structure in the direction of the feet. The pulling force may be exerted by a standard pulling device provided at the foot of a bed. The belt has end portionsconstituting the front of the belt when worn, a central back portion and two side portions on opposite sides of the back portion. A fastener is affixed to the end portions for fastening them together. A first pad of fastener material for a fabric fastener is affixed to the back portion of the belt on the outside thereof, and second and third pads of fastener material for a fabric fastener are affixed respectively to the side portions of the belt on the outside thereof. A plurality of straps are provided at one end with fastener material complementary to that on the belt. Thus, for a single-pull belt the fastener material at the end of-one strap is applied to the first-pad and the other end of the strap is.

secured to the pulling device. For a double-pull belt, two straps are used with the fastener material thereof applied respectively to the second and third pads and with their other ends secured to the pulling device. In a specific embodiment, the pads are pile material, and the fasteners on the straps are hooking material. Stiffeners may be incorporated into the belt where the pads are located.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved pelvic traction belt which can be used for single-pull and double-pull applications.

Another object of the invention is to provide fabric fasteners on a traction belt in position allowing selective application of pulling straps to the belt.

A further object of the invention is to provide a fabric fastener on the back portion of a traction belt to which fastening material of a single strap may be affixed 'to provide a single-pull device, and two fabric fasteners to side portions of the belt to which fabric material of two pulling belts may be affixed to provide a double-pull device.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following description and appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

On the Drawings FIG. 1 is a plan view of one side of a pelvic traction belt in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a pulling strap to be attached to the belt of ticed or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. As shown on the Drawings v The belt 10 in the illustrated embodiment consists of two layers of cloth, one layer 14 being duck material and the other layer 16 being flannel material. The duck layer 14 will be referred to as the outside of the belt. A binding l2is sewn around the edge of the belt.

The belt has opposite end portions 18 and 20 which constitute the front of the belt when it is worn. On the outside of one end 18 are two strips 22 and 24 of pile material for a and are available under the trademark VELCRO. The belt 10 1 can be wrapped around the waist of a person and the hooking strips 26 and 28 placed in contact with the pile strips 22 and 24 to hold the belt in place. Also, there are buckling hooks 30, and the straps with loops 34. Loops 34 can then be pulled onto hooks 30, and the straps 32 can then be pulled to cinch up the belt and thereby tighten it.

On the outside of the belt, two strips of webbing material 36 and 38 are sewn to the belt to form a V. Strips 36 and 38 are located at the center of the belt which constitutes its back portion when worn. Also, there are two strips 40 and 42 of webbing material sewn to the outside of the belt on one side of strips 36 and 38, and two further strips 44 and 46 of webbing material sewn to the outside of the belt on the other side of strips 36 and 38. Strips 40 and 42 are located at the portion of the belt which constitutes one side portion when the belt is worn, and strips 44 and 46 are located at the portion of the belt which constitutes the other side portion when the belt is worn. Strips 40 and 42 form one V, and strips 46 and 48 form another V.

Two additional strips 49 and 51 of webbing material are sewn to the outside of the belt at the end portions thereof. Buckling hooks 30 are sewn to strip 49 and straps 32 are sewn to strip 51.

Each of the strips 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, and 46 has a pad 48 of pile material for a fabric fastener secured to it as by sewing. This pile material may be in the form of tiny loops, or simply closely packed fibrous material. Plastic stiffening members may be provided between layers 14 and 16 in alignment with the webbing strips for reinforcing the belts at these regions.

Referring to FIG. 2, a strap 50 of webbing material is provided and includes two strips 52 and 54 which form a V matching those on the belt. Strips 52 and 54 each have hook material 56 for a fabric fastener secured to it as by sewing. The other end of strap 50 is looped through a D-ring 58, and the free end-of the strap isfolded back and secured with a loop 60. The length of the strap 50 can be adjusted by pulling on the free end thereof.

FIG. 4 shows a single-pull traction device including the belt 10 and one pulling strap 50. It may be seen that strip 50 is secured to the back portion of the belt by applying the hooking material 56 to the pads 48 of pile material. In use, the belt 10 is fastened around the waist of a patient, and D-ring 58 is attached to a pulling device provided at the foot of a bed. Such pulling devices are well known and are not shown herein since they do not constitute any part of the invention. The fabric fastener formed by hooking material 56 and pads 48 will withstand a relatively great shearing force, but the hooking material 56 may be easily peeled off from the pads 48. With pulling force applied to strap 50, the belt 10 pushes the pelvic bone structure of the patient in the direction of his feet and thereby stretches the spine of the patient.

FIG. 5 shows a double-pull traction device consisting of the belt 10 and two pulling straps 50 attached thereto. It may be seen that one strap 50 has the hooking material 56 thereof applied to the pads 48 on strips 40 and 42. The other pulling belt 50 has the hooking material 56 thereof attached to the pads 48 on strips 44 and 46. Thus, one pulling strap is secured to one side portion of the belt, and the other pulling strap is attached to the other side portion of the belt. In use, the pulling straps are attached to a pulling device at the foot of a bed by means of the D-rings 58 as previously explained.

Thus, the invention provides an economical and very practical pelvic traction device which can be used for either singlepull and double-pull applications. This eliminates any need for stocking of two types of belts by hospitals and still fulfills the needs of the doctors who may prescribe either type of belt.

Having thus described my invention,

I claim:

1. A pelvic traction device including in combination a belt of flexible material of a length and width to wrap around the pelvic area of a person and, when pulled toward the feet of the person, to push the pelvic bone structure in the direction of the feet, said belt having opposite end portions constituting the front of the belt when worn, a central back portion and two side portions on opposite sides of the back portion, means affixed to said end portions for fastening the same together, a first pad of fastener material for a fabric fastener affixed to said back portion of said belt on the outside thereof, second and third pads of fastener material for a fabric fastener afiixed respectively to said side portions of said belt on the outside thereof, and a plurality of straps each having an end portion to be affixed to said belt, said end portions each having fastener material complementary to that on said belt affixed thereto, two said straps having the fastener material thereof detachably affixed to said second and third pads respectively to provide a double-pull t'raction device, said first pad being capable of receiving the fastener material of a single detachably connected strap to provide a single-pull traction device.

2. The pelvic traction device as claimed in claim 1 in which said pads are the pile material of a fabric fastener and said fastener material on each of said straps is the hooking material of a fabric fastener.

3. The pelvic traction device of claim 1 in which said belt is made of cloth having strips of webbing affixed thereto at said back portion and said side portions, and said pads are affixed to said webbing strips.

4. The pelvic traction device of claim 3 in which said webbing strips form one V at said back portion and two other Vs at said side portions with each leg of each of said Vs having a pad of fastener material affixed thereto.

5. The pelvic traction device of claim 4 in which said straps each have V-shaped portions at one end thereof with fastener material affixed to each leg of the V,

6. The peliv traction device of claim 5 in which said belt consists of two layers of cloth having plastic stiffening strips affixed between the same alignment with said webbing strips.

7. The pelvic traction device of claim 1 in which said means for fastening the end portions of said belt together comprises pile material for a fabric fastener affixed to one of said end portions, hooking material for a fabric fastener affixed to the other of said end portions, buckle hooks affixed to one of said end portions, straps affixed to the other of said end portions, and buckling loops respectively received on said straps for engaging said hooks to allow cinching of said belt by pulling said straps. 

